Melissa Darko looks on as Paul Reed, right, a financial coach at Rural Dynamics, reviews her budget. Darko was able to pay off a considerable amount of her student loan and credit card debt with a plan from Rural Dynamics.(Photo: Courtesy photo)

She and the other financial coaches at the nonprofit Rural Dynamics Inc. can help you maintain or they can push you toward a big goal.

“I’ve seen people who are 18 and I’ve seen people who are in their 80s,” Reed said. “I’ve seen people who live in their car and I’ve seen doctors and lawyers. It doesn’t matter what you make, People always live on the edge of their budget and then one of those life shocks comes along.”

Rural Dynamics sees between 3,000 and 4,000 people every year.

Many face financial crisis and even now that most people have recovered from the Recession, 42 percent of Montana households don’t have enough assets to survive at poverty level for three months without income.

It’s not uncommon for people to bring in a box of unopened mail because they were too afraid to deal with notice after notice.

Reed said credit counseling is really about taking control of your financial situation.

Making minimum payments on 14 credit cards, Melissa Darko felt as stressed about the chaos of having so many bills as she did the nearly $12,000 in debt.

Leaving behind a state job, Darko returned to Great Falls when her partner got a good job here. She got sick without insurance and college debt loomed. Combined with small balances on multiple credit cards, Darko felt overwhelmed when she walked into Reed’s office and asked for help.

“I just couldn’t do it anymore,” she said. “My attention was so divided that I started slipping. It was a relief. It was a relief from creditors, but it was a relief that someone was going to help me.”

Reed examined every element of Darko’s budget, from her rent to how much she spent on coffee. She also reached out to credit card companies and negotiated interest rates, dropping some interest rates from 25 percent to 10.

Darko now has a debt management plan. Instead of paying 14 different credit cards, she now makes one payment to Rural Dynamics. The nonprofit then pays all of the creditors, making minimum payments first and then systematically paying off cards with the smallest balance.

United Way(Photo: Graphic)

Since walking in Reed’s office in March 2016, Darko has paid off half her debt, which without Reed’s help would have taken 10 years to pay off and would have cost her nearly as much in interest as the debt itself.

“Rural Dynamics helps you, but you’re doing it yourself,” Darko said. “I’m paying my debt. RDI gives you the tools and the help to get it done the right way, but ultimately I’m the one who’s improving my credit.”

Nearly 750 people are on debt management plans through RDI, including 128 in Cascade County. Together, they paid off more than $4.5 million in debt.

The debt management plans combine with credit counseling to help improve credit scores. Credit scores set not just loan rates, but insurance rates, utility rates and is even part of what employers look at in hiring.

One Malmstrom airman was about to lose her security clearance – and therefore her job – because her credit score was too low. Now her debt is under control, her credit score is up and she’s preparing to buy a house.

The coaches begin by analyzing a person’s finances and credit score and then the coach helps prepare a plan. People pay $30 a month to have access to their financial coach as often as they need. A United Way grant provides scholarships to people who can’t afford the monthly fee.

United Way President Gary Owen said the Credit Builder program advances United Way’s goals to help people manage their expenses and build their savings.

“Improving people’s credit scores helps them get better loan rates, lower insurance rates and in some cases qualify them for better jobs,” he said. “The Credit Builder program also works to establish and improve struggling families’ credit and increase their savings for retirement and emergencies. Rural Dynamics is helping people find financial stability.”

United Way of Cascade County asks for money once a year. People can give monthly or one-time gifts through our website at www.uwccmt.org or can send donations directly to United Way at PO Box 1343, Great Falls, MT 59403.